Helicopters, helicopters and more helicopters. 

Two days in July got us on base visits to HMS Heron near Yeovilton in Somerset, Gosport near Portsmouth and Arborfield near London. Also known as Yeovilton NAS, HMS Sultan and Hazebrouck barracks.

At HMS Heron some of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines helicopter units are based. At HMS Sultan the Navy teaches its students to fix helicopters and at Hazebrouck Barracks the Army does that for its own technicians.

At Yeovilton we were met in front of the museum and taken by coach onto the air station. A former Sea Harrier base it is now home to 702 Sqn and 815 Sqn flying the Lynx, 845 Sqn, 846 Sqn and 848 Sqn flying the Sea King HC4 Commando and 847 Sqn flying the armed Army Lynx in support of the 3^rd  Commando Brigade Royal Marines on deployments worldwide. It also supports the Heron Flight of 750 Sqn witch operates Jetstreams and the NFSF flying the black coloured Hawk T1.

We went form left to right. Visited all the hangars and got our shots on the various platforms. Why I enjoy England and the English became clear when we came to the hangar of 847 sqn. Fresh back out of Afghanistan the helicopters where still full of kit they used and witch was not for photographic purposes. Instead of disappointing us they asked for 5 minutes to tape of everything that was not for our eyes and we where still allowed in to take our pictures. After having seen all the helicopters on one side of the airfield we went to the other side to visit the hangar of the Royal Navy Historic Flight. In its hangar they were working on one of the swordfishes. It had flown the previous day. This day they would fly the Sea Hawk. It is very strange to see this shape go trough the sky above Yeovilton !

After this the visit was over and the natural next thing to do was visit the excellent  Fleet Air Arm Museum situated next to the airfield.

In the morning of the 15^th July at 09.00 we were met at the gate of HMS Sultan by our host for that morning. At HMS Sultan the Royal navy teaches its technicians to make basic repairs to the helicopters in the combat zone. HMS Sultan is the home of Royal Naval School of Marine Engineering (RNSME) and the Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival School (RNAESS) whose primary function is to supply the Fleet with engineering Officers.

It is situated between the Forts Grange and Rowner that were built here in the 1850's as part of the defensive ring around Portsmouth. They were build to keep the French out. Nowadays they just come by tunnel! The present HMS Sultan occupies a site which was originally one of the earliest Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service airfields in the country. Many Royal Naval air squadrons were formed and trained here for service in France during World War 1. It became a permanent RAF station in 1918 but continued to work closely with the Fleet Air Arm and was transferred to the Navy in 1945. As Naval Air Station HMS Siskin it was here that basic helicopter flying training procedures were developed. The MT & RE took over in 1956 when the airfield was closed. History has now moved full circle with the arrival of the Air Engineering Department from HMS Daedalus. There is talk that all the activities will move to St. Athan somewere in the next coming years.

We started at the end of the line. The hangar where battle damage repair is practised. The end of the line because after the helicopters have been patched up and patched up and patched up again the only station left is the scrappers. Times change as the Navy used to get money for all this old iron and now they have to pay to get it scrapped. After this we went past the other hangars to what should be the beginning of the line. The hangar where al the airframes are stored. A very relaxed visit with only in the middle hangars no photography allowed because the students were busy working or being examined.

In the afternoon of the 15^th July we got a chance to see the helicopter training at Hazebrouck Barracks. Hazebrouck Barracks or Arborfield Garrison is situated about 35 miles west of London. It has long been associated with Electrical and Mechanical Engineering training. Here is situated the SEAE  (School of Electronic and Aeronautical Engineering). This school provides a wide range of courses to train electronic and aviation technicians and engineers.  In the middle of the big Army base the hangar is situated were the Army uses some 20 airframes to teach its future technicians and those of befriended country’s. It has an average student population of 800. The instruction is done on the Lynx and Gazelle. The two major helicopters in service. To the side of the hangar they also have 7 Scout helicopters. For the students it was a normal training day and we had to take care not to disturb them on their training. Especially the two technicians that were being examined. Again a very relaxed visit. We could go where we wanted and take our pictures.